Modesty wasn’t too concerned about the bones that dotted the landscape more plentifully than stones in this place, the lack of trees made it perfect for stargazing. She had caught her daughter mentioning travelling south to try and find some ‘coyote balls’ and had jumped at the opportunity to gather up Scald too. They would travel south together, and hopefully Modesty would be able to teach the kids a thing or two about finding their way home. Not that they had struggled so far…

As they were leaving, a brown shadow had crept up behind, and by the time Modesty had caught wind of it, it was going to be a pain to go back. Honestly, it was the shrieking of his bird at her daughters bird that gave him away. Pesky things, at least come spring, they would have their own little dive bombers between them.

The children were chattering among themselves as the sun set above, and Modesty scanned the skies until she spotted Mintaka creeping above the horizon. She continued to scan the skies before speaking. “Say, can anyone tell me which way is west?” Sure they could locate polaris and work it out from there, but who didn’t love a shortcut?

“Speech.”

They said that I got to keep it sweet

-lesson 1/3-

Deluge sulked the whole way. It was a plan to get away from her mother, and she’d never shown an interest before. How come she was suddenly so interested now that she was a grown ass woman and capable of looking after herself? (In her own eyes anyway). At least she had Scald for company and Sakana had come along too. What was it with that kid and following her like a shadow? He’d even followed her to the same beach and made friends with the same sort of bird for crying out loud!

At least this time she finally made it all the way across the land bridge…

There were all sorts of strange sights and scents, there seemed to be packs popping up all over the place like daisies down here! She was puzzled why her mother had chosen to just stop in a field of bones, with no word, just plunked her fluffy ass down and started staring at the sky. Gosh she was so infuriating! Deluge chewed her tongue for a bit, paced back and forth, and just as she was about to open her mouth and ask ‘what the hell woman?’ her mother spoke. West? The girl spun trying to get her bearings. If she could remember what way they had come from, well that was North right? except the light was failing and there were no familiar landmarks to point the way home. The girl groaned and looked to the stars, there weren’t enough of them yet to spot the ones that she used to find her way back to the plunder, and this far south everything looked different! "That way?” she gestured with a toss of her head, sarcasm heavy on her tongue, to the left (which inevitably ended up being north).

She was too caught up wondering what her mother was playing at to take any of it seriously.

"Speech"

Sakana just hadn’t wanted to be left out. When the big fluffy star lady had spotted him and sighed and tipped her head to say, Well you’re here now and I’m not taking you home, his whole back end had wriggled with delight. He was going to find some extra bugs for his new friend tonight. At first he had been worried about the skwarking getting him sent home, but his bird liked Deluge’s bird and he liked that Deluge treated him just like she treated everyone. She wasn’t worried about him not being a spotty, colourful giant like his siblings, and he’d always been a follower at heart, thats why he couldn’t resist trying to tag along with the yearling kids.

It was a long walk though, and he had the shortest legs of them all. He was grateful for the break, even if it was in a creepy bone field with no cover, and why was it so warm down here? Wasn’t it meant to be winter?

All of that would be put to the side as he flopped and focused on trying to get his temperature to drop. The scar on the underside of his throat sometimes felt tight, so he had scratched himself out a hole in the bone riddled earth and splooted down, his brown fur blending perfectly with his surroundings and his neck resting on the smooth cool bones of someone’s cranium. When he stopped to think about it, this place was actually kinda cool!

As the sun dipped below the horizon, so did the temperature and he managed to pull himself up in time to catch fluffy star lady… Patience?’s words… (although maybe that title was a bit tongue in cheek, she hadn’t seemed very patient to him… ever…) He too, turned about, trying to get his bearings. Everything was so different this far from home. In the end, when he saw the look she gave Deluge, all he could do was shrug. He didn’t have a better answer than she did.

“Speech”

the rougher the seas the smoother we sail

Unlike that of his sister, Scald enjoyed what little company his mother would give him. Call him a mama's boy or whatever, but he was the only one who even slightly resembled her. Everyone else had taken after their father and while his dad was fine enough, Scald felt more of a connection to Modesty. So when she asked if he would accompany her and his sister to do some sightseeing, he didn't hesitate to go along. This time, his closest friend and brother, Rexx wouldn't be tagging along, but the brown kid named Sakana that was Ajax's brother was. Not really interested in the guy like he was in Deluge, Scald stuck closer to Modesty's side as they moved down south. Along the way, they picked up another youngster around their age. Eyeing her occasionally as she chattered away to Deluge, Scald listened in with keen ears as he gathered in their surroundings. They skirted the edge of a pack's territory that scented as if they covered half the continent. His nose tingled at the smell but he was glad when it was gone. Not that it would be long until another pack's scent picked up not far away. Hadn't mom said something about Auster not being very populated? Maybe it had been too long since she'd been down here... Either way, he was surprised when they stopped in a hilly area that seemed devoid of plant life. Dirt and bones surrounded them beneath a cloudless sky. Plunking his own butt down onto the hard ground, he wondered just how many bones were around them. What did they belong to anyway? They seemed huge. Larger than a bear or whatever those big beasts were that dad was describing... elephants? Yeah, elephants! Almost distracted by the scurry of a mouse into a hole, his interest was drawn toward his mother who was peering up at the starry sky. West? His bi-colored gaze looked at those twinkling lights with curiosity. She had mentioned a time or two before about which way directions were, right? Scrunching his brow as he thought, Scald fought to not roll his eyes when he heard his sister's sarcastic mark. "I doubt its that way," he retorted to his sister with a sigh as he continued to study the stars. "Looks like it might be back that way," the boy mentioned as he turned his chin over his shoulder which really ended up being east. S C A L D

Rheum had met the girl at the bridge that spread between Auster and Boreas. Not far behind her had been the rest of the group that Deluge was traveling with. After names had been shared, she agreed to join them on their adventure around Auster. Already familiar with the southern continent, Rheum didn't mind seeing some new places. Unlike Fossil Ridge which she had been to before, this place was different. This place was creepy and the bones here were more normal-sized. Her bright yellow eyes glanced around nervously as she spied dried pools of blood and leftover weapons sticking out between ribcages.

Ignoring the bad feeling that made her gut twist into knots, Rheum shifted her glance to the ragtag group of wolves. Watching Modesty sit herself down to look up at the stars, she followed suit. It had been a while since she had gotten a lesson about stargazing and she was eager for the refresher. Letting the others give it a go first to be polite, Rheum tilted her head up as far as it would go to get the best look. "Polaris is there which is north," she mentioned to Deluge who pointed to the big shining star in the sky. "Which means west is that way?" She asked as she pointed in the opposite direction of Scald.

Navigation Lessons 1/3

Modesty gave each of the kids a chance to come up with an answer, but it was their blow in that gave the correct direction. Modesty nodded her head at the explanation, and looked to polaris as well. "That's the most recognisable one, yes, but if you look over there," She tipped her nose towards three stars side by side, "The first one to come up is called Mintaka, and it rises in the east, and sets in the west, just like the sun." She wasn't entirely sure Deluge was listening until she saw the girl's eyes flick in the direction of the stars when she thought her mother wasn't looking. "Sometimes, if you're competing with cloud cover, you won't be able to see one or the other, it's a good idea to have a few different reference points to fall back on. Does anyone know of any others?" While she waited for a response, she considered the way the moonlight gleamed off the exposed bone and the way the darker marks seemed to eat up all the light. Maybe it was a bit eerie after all.

“Speech.”

They said that I got to keep it sweet

-Lesson 2/3-

He should have listened to his mother more. Retained the information about stars when she had mentioned it before. Even now, as he looked about the deserted field they stood in, he wished they would leave already. The various pile of bones and dried pools of blood was giving him the creeps. What was this place anyway? Scald could see the different types of animals but when he looked closer, he thought maybe there were even wolf corpses... How could that be? A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of dying in such an ugly place. Turning his attention back to the group and his mom, his bi-colored gaze moved to the clear sky. Huh, he hadn't thought about cloud cover. How would they navigate home if they didn't have any stars at all? So he asked. "Yeah, that's great an' all mom, but what if it's so cloudy you can't even see the moon?" His brow scrunched and so did his nose as he waited for a response. She had to know, right? S C A L D

The girl was more than eager to learn more about navigation. While her own mum was a fantastic teacher and going on adventures with her uncle was more than enough fun, this was also fun too. Having a different perspective from someone else could give her insight that she hadn't been taught before! Her yellow gaze watched the stars as Modesty detailed the three stars with one named Mintaka. A quiet hum left her throat as she continued to look at the stars herself to see if she saw another one she recognized. Really, she wasn't quite sure until she looked at the three stars Modesty pointed at.

Before she could say something, Scald spoke out about what if there was too much cloud cover. Her ears fell back a moment as she too wondered the same thing. "Hopefully you find a bird companion for yourself by then," she teased, which in turn got a tongue stuck out in her direction from Scald. Now that she wasn't looking at the stars, her eyes caught sight of a particularly nasty clump of bones, fur, and blood. What had happened there? Not exactly wanting to find out, she hoped Modesty would lead them from this creepy place soon!

"Isn't Mintaka a part of Orion's belt?" Rheum asked, hoping the question would help speed up their journey.

Navigation Lessons 2/3

Deluge didn't realise the stars had names and she had to wonder where her mother had learned them from. She turned an ear as the others piped up but tried to maintain her own general disinterest. She had come here for coyote balls, not to listen to her mother jibber-jabber about stars and directions. She could get home just fine on her own, and had done on every other journey.

That Rheum actually seemed interested was probably what stung the most of all, but she supposed, for her friend, she could avoid shutting the lesson down entirely. Her sigh was muted. "If ya can't tell where you're going then y'should stay put. No point wastin' energy walkin' in circles, unless yer got nowhere to be." After all, she very much enjoyed wandering around just for the sake of wandering.

At least the dirt here seemed well fertilised. She rolled her toes beneath her and tried to hide the way she inhaled the rich earthy scent. She couldn't remember the last time the earth had given so easily underneath her paws.

"Speech"

The boys nose wrinkled at the question asked. He wasn't too fond of speaking up in front of others, but this lot seemed alright. He just hoped they wouldn't laugh at him. "Them one's is Crux," he tipped his nose to a series of stars that made a cross. They weren't ones you could spot from home, but he had seen them drawn in the sand before, "an' that's the big bear, it'll help you find the north star..." If he squinted just a little, he could almost make out it's big ol' paws. "An' theres the wolf, with his rainbow heart." They probably weren't much use for navigating, but he liked to think they'd look out for him, if he needed it.

Now he had said his piece about the skies, he turned his attention back to ground. What was that thing with big bones coming out it's face? He wondered what it would have looked like alive.

"Speech"

Modesty was spared from answering Scald's question when Deluge piped up, and she turned her attention to Rheum, nodding in answer to her question. Before she had a chance to open her mouth however, the quietest of their party started listing off the other star groups. "A lot of these we can only see in the South. Back at the Plunder and further north, there are different stars in the sky. Some you can only see at certain times of year too." She quite liked the description of the wolf with his rainbow heart. "If you look a little closer, he's always chasing a hare," she gestured with her muzzle. "And you can always find the hunter, or Orion from there, which will help you find east or west. The big bear will point you to the North star." It was quite a bit to absorb, and she thought they'd be best off leaving it there. "Right you lot, where to next?" Her foot caught on a monsterous skull, and she tried to cover her stumble and glare at the offending skeleton. What had that even come from, anyway?

“Speech.”

They said that I got to keep it sweet

-lesson 3/3-

Now wasn't the time or place for them to begin squabbling. Before Scald had a chance to retort in his sister's direction, Rheum turned her attention to Sakana and Modesty who were listing off different star systems. Her brows raised in a curious manner as she wondered where the Plunder was exactly. "I didn't know that different star systems were seen in different areas of the continents," she mentioned as she turned her gaze back up to the sky. The stars they looked at, the wolf, Orion, the bear, those were all that she could also see back at the Bamboo. What stars did they see back home?

Without a chance to ask, Rheum made a mental note to ask Modesty about it later. For now, her eyes squinted into the distance. Where indeed would they be going? Hopefully very far from this crummy place! She was quite over the blood splatters and rotting carcasses. Truthfully, it was all that she could smell and it wasn't a scent she wanted to keep in her nose. "Anywhere but here," she muttered under her breath as her ears fold backward.

Navigation Lessons 3/3

His quills bristled quickly at his sister's retort. She was lucky she was bigger than him or he would've given her a good wallop. Rolling his eyes in an obvious way, Scald decided to stay quiet as the rest of the group continued to converse with each other. Instead, the boy went from glancing around the desolate land they stood on to the stars that glittered up above. When he really thought about it... he wondered what exactly a star was. Did anyone know? Or were they really just something that no one ever questioned? "How do we know the stars will never change position?" He finally piped up as his mother began ushering them toward the west. It was west that she wanted to go in right? One more glance around the area told him he should follow quickly. The dried blood made him queasy and all of the empty eye sockets really felt as if they were staring back at him by now. "Is this like the battlefield or something?" Scald asked as they continued their journey hopefully in the direction of home. explore a new land & study the stars 3/3

Sakana thought back to his visit to the big bonfire with Deluge, and how he had seen a star system that looked a bit like an octopus. If what Modesty was saying was right, it made sense then that the skies seemed a little bit different in all different sorts of places. When it came to where they were going next though, well the boy was only along for the ride! He also wrinkled his nose at the smell of this place, which hadn't been so prevalent before but clearly something nearby was... rotting... Maybe the wind had changed direction? "Smells more like some sort of graveyard, I agree, let's get away from here."

"Speech"

The wind must have changed direction to have them all wrinkling their noses in such a way. Whatever it was was too far gone to be even tempting to hungry carnivores... well, except maybe hyenas, which she could almost hear cackling in the back of her head. Thoughts of stars were tucked to the back of her mind as the realisation dawned that the laughter wasn't her imagination. "Might be a battleground for grass eaters, but that laughin' isn't anythin' we want ter deal with. I vote we go whatever direction that isn't." It wasn't that Deluge was afraid of other large predators, but she had seen her mother's attempts to practice fighting with her father, and she didn't trust the galaxy coated woman to be able to keep them safe from a pack of hungry hyenas, even if they were the smaller striped cousins of the spotted sort.

"Speech"